Summary & Overview
HCPCS A6506: Compression Burn Garment Glove to Axilla
HCPCS Level II code A6506 represents a custom-fabricated compression burn garment — a glove extending to the axilla — used to manage scar formation and edema after significant burns or grafting. Nationally, custom compression garments are an important component of long-term burn rehabilitation and scar management programs, affecting durable medical equipment and specialty supply billing across payers. Key payers included in this analysis are Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, and Medicare.
Readers will find an overview of the clinical purpose of the garment, common sites of service where the item is provided, and the payer landscape for coverage and billing practice. The publication provides benchmark context on utilization and coverage patterns, highlights policy considerations for durable medical equipment and prosthetic billing, and summarizes documentation and billing elements commonly associated with custom compression garments. Data not available in the input is noted where applicable, and the report refrains from clinical or billing recommendations, focusing instead on descriptive and policy-relevant information for national stakeholders.
Billing Code Overview
HCPCS Level II code A6506 describes a custom fabricated compression burn garment, glove to axilla. This item is a custom-made compression garment designed to provide controlled pressure over burn scars and grafted areas extending from the hand through the axillary region.
Service type: Custom compression garment (orthotic/device)
Typical site of service: Outpatient durable medical equipment or specialty prosthetics/orthotics clinic, wound care or burn clinic, or outpatient surgical supply setting
Clinical & Coding Specifications
Clinical Context
A typical patient is a adult or pediatric burn survivor presenting to a burn clinic or specialty durable medical equipment (DME) vendor for evaluation 4–12 weeks after deep partial-thickness or full-thickness thermal injury, grafting, or extensive scar formation. The patient has hypertrophic scarring, contracture risk, or limb edema of the upper torso and upper extremity requiring a custom-fabricated compression burn garment that extends from the hand/glove to the axilla. The multidisciplinary workflow includes: initial assessment by a burn surgeon or plastic surgeon, prescription and measurement by a certified orthotist or trained clinician, custom fabrication by a specialized DME supplier, fitting and adjustment in clinic, and follow-up visits for pressure tolerance, skin breakdown surveillance, and replacement as the patient grows or scar remodels. Typical sites of service are outpatient burn clinic, hospital outpatient department, or DME supplier fitting facility. Common payors for authorization and reimbursement reviews include Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna Health, UnitedHealthcare, BUCA, and Medicare.
Coding Specifications
| Modifier | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
LT | Left side | When the garment is for the patient's left upper extremity/left-sided axillary coverage |
RT |